Thom Shanker

The scandal involving General David Petraeus, his lover Paula Broadwell, and the woman vying for his attention, Jill Kelley has expanded into a sort of love pentagon. Elisabeth Bumill...

Eric Schmitt, terrorism correspondent, and Thom Shanker, Pentagon correspondent, both of The New York Times, talk about the Pentagon's revolutionary new strategy to fight al Qaeda, and how it’s shaping the United States’ efforts to fight terrorism in the Middle East and at home. In Counter Strike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda, Schmitt and Shanker tell why the strategy to defeat al Qaeda through force wasn’t working, and how successful new counterterrorism strategies are being developed and adopted.

Nearly 500 inmates escaped an Afghan prison last April, highlighting some major deficiencies in the country's security infrastructure. Despite that, U.S. efforts in Afghanistan may be much more high-tech than many realize. Recently, U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan and Iraq have been taking eye scans and fingerprints to compile a large database of biometric information on prisoners and civilians alike. About 35 escapees have been recaptured after their identities were confirmed using this data.

Thom Shanker, New York Times national security and foreign policy correspondent, discusses a rare major shift in the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

U.S. and NATO forces are approaching the campaign in Southern Afghanistan in a novel way — from the allies' struggle to win the hearts and minds of Afghan civilians in the region, to the dropping of leaflets urging the Taliban to leave the area. New York Times Pentagon correspondent Thom Shanker looks at how the strategy of this military campaign differs from others.

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday seeking a second term. Although he repeatedly said that no f...

President Obama plans to announce an expansive new plan for Afghanistan in a speech at the White House this morning, committing thousands more troops and starting what's being called ...